The Custom Saddlery Stephan's Advantage is a premium dressage saddle designed to provide a deep, balanced rider position with substantial leg support while retaining the fitting flexibility associated with Custom Saddlery's wool-flocked panel system.
 
This particular saddle features a 17.5" seat, Medium (M) tree, wool-flocked panels, and flaps measuring approximately 16.5" long × 13.25" wide.
 
The Stephan's Advantage is designed around a supportive dressage seat that helps center the rider over the horse while maintaining close communication through the leg. Substantial thigh blocks provide positional stability without requiring the rider to brace against the saddle.
 
The saddle features wool-flocked panels, allowing a qualified saddle fitter to alter panel volume, balance, and contact for the individual horse. The flocking can also be maintained and rebalanced as the horse's musculature changes with training, conditioning, or age.
 
Custom Saddlery uses multiple tree and panel configurations to accommodate different horse conformations. The Medium designation should therefore be treated as the current/factory width specification, while actual fit also depends on the underlying tree shape, panel configuration, wither profile, shoulder angle, and topline.
 
Specifications
• Brand: Custom Saddlery
• Model: Stephan's Advantage
• Discipline: Dressage
• Seat Size: 17.5"
• Tree Width: Medium (M)
• Panels: Wool flocked
• Flap Length: 16.5"
• Flap Width: 13.25"
• Flap Measurement: 16.5"L × 13.25"W
• Seat: Deep/supportive dressage configuration
• Knee/Thigh Support: Substantial dressage blocks
• Construction: Premium leather
• Complete Factory Marking: 16-17.5M-11517 / 06 / 16 M
• Suitable For: Dressage, Competition & Performance Flatwork
 
Horse Fit
With its Medium tree, this Stephan's Advantage should initially be considered for a horse with a moderate wither, shoulder, and upper-back profile rather than a particularly narrow or exceptionally broad horse.
 
Potential candidates can include warmbloods, sport horses, Thoroughbred crosses, and similar horses with moderate width through the shoulders and ribcage, provided the underlying tree shape and panel profile correspond appropriately with the horse.
 
The wool-flocked panels provide meaningful fitting flexibility. A qualified saddle fitter can adjust panel volume and balance to improve contact and pressure distribution, although flocking cannot compensate for an inappropriate underlying tree shape.
 
Rider Fit
The combination of a 17.5" seat and 16.5"L × 13.25"W flaps provides a moderate rider footprint with good room through the knee area.
 
The Stephan's Advantage is particularly appropriate for a rider who prefers a supportive modern dressage position with more seat and thigh support than a traditional open-seat dressage saddle.
 
About Custom Saddlery
Custom Saddlery specializes primarily in performance dressage saddles and has developed a strong reputation for individualized horse-and-rider fitting. Its saddles have been used extensively in upper-level dressage, including by international and Olympic-level competitors.
 
The company's fitting approach incorporates different tree profiles, panel configurations, flap options, and rider-support systems rather than relying solely on generic Narrow, Medium, and Wide classifications.
 
The Stephan's Advantage is one of Custom Saddlery's established dressage models and combines a supportive rider position with wool-flocked fitting capability, making it suitable for serious schooling and competition.